Dear Readers,

So today is a day at work.

Lemonade energy drink in hand,

Dean Martin, Jack White, and Dropkicks on the radio

Sun blarin

Bee's buzzing

and God's creation all around.

This is the second week "at the office," selling "the duce." ( our stand is open for the second week and we are selling produce.) And its been both awesome and hard.

Awesome because it brings back some really great memories of my Grandmothers raspberry stand, and her farming background.

....let me chat a little about this if you don't mind;

My Grandmother was the quintesenssial grandmother.  She had a sweet, gentle disposition, long silvery hair that she wore in a french twist everyday, she had a endearing smile, she wore long skirts year round, and she had a joyful laugh that would make her eyes and nose krinkle. She always had a door open for me and my brother, and she never came over to our house empty handed.  She loved my Mother fiercely.

I'm sure most of you can talk about your grandmothers in a special way, and I'm positive that your grandmothers our special.....but there was just something about my grandmother that was different. Always as if she just knew a little bit something more than she could tell you- as if she was walking closely with God daily. I'm not sure I can pinpoint it, but I do know one day when I see her again I will understand what that specialness just really was.

My Memere ( as what we called her because she was French- her family migrated down from Canada as loggers and farmers) was a very hard worker.  She grew up in a deaf family as a hearing child. Her Mother was deaf and her Father was hearing so she learned sign language at a very young age.  Her Father had alot of land that he farmed for his family as well as for produce sales. One thing that he farmed very well though, was raspberries.

When we were kids my Memere had some of those raspberry plants that were her Father's, and she herself maintained a patch of them.  She would pick them at their ripest (In Mass around July) and sell them for 2 dollars a pint.  They were the prettiest raspberries I have yet to see.  I may be partial to them but I can clearly remember her customers exclaiming that they were the best raspberries they've ever had as well.  My grandmother would sell them at the end of her front yard on a little table and she would get my brother and I to sit out there and collect the monies for her, while she and my Mother would be in the raspberry patch picking.  As kids it was pretty boring sitting in the blaring, summer sun and I could think of many lakes I would have rather have been swimming in those hot days. But what she would do with that money is spend it on us.  We never asked her to do this she just would. My grandmother would take us out for ice creams. Spend on kites that we wanted when we went to the beach.  Save it for Christmas gifts. Try to give us money to put in our  pockets before we went home.  She never once thought that she would take what she earned and buy herself something nice. She was just like that.  (I can remember one summer me and her were going to go cross country by train to visit family in Oregon.  I was thrilled that she asked me to go with her. It was going to take us five days to venture across our country. I was fifteen and I was going to see our entire U.S. I was actually beyond thrilled. When me and her started our travels she took out a big wad of cash. It was all the money she made from selling raspberries the month before, and she was determined to spend that on me while we traveled.  As I type all this I get teary eyed recalling her selflessness.  I miss her much but I am confident that I will hug her again) Looking back on those memories and my attitude as a child I wish I could go back and change it. I know that I would appreciate all the Memere was teaching me so much more, and I wouldn't be thinking about lakes.

So back to why I think that "this," work at a farm stand is awesome?  

Here's why; I get to be a kid again- selling raspberries with my Grandmother. I get to enjoy what my Grandmother never took advantage of.....

Its being outside and breathing.

 Its about not worrying about stock markets, housing lenders, calamity of all levels, famous people and their drug problems, religious warfare, and how the worlds gonna go to crap if we don't do a better job at picking government officials who blog about their sexcapades. 

I get to be outside viewing what God paints for us daily. I get to meet local people with their local stories. I get to sell what farmers tenderly put love into. I get to worry about how to get from point"a," to point "b," and not everything in between.  I get to practice "living simply." Its not so much about "how much money can I make," but more like, how much more could this be enjoyable? How could this "work," get better?

I don't think much.

This isn't to brag, and I pray that its not taken that way.  I wanted to make this blog not- about how "cool we are," and what a great "cook, creative, woman of the year, humble wife, and lover of all arts and crafts," kinda blog. But more like a "hey sit back and enjoy the ride, and take life's humor as it comes" kinda blog. This blog is about- "their is mud in your house and no matter how much you sweep its gonna come right back in," kinda blog. Its about honest things, like weeds in your garden and it not about painting a picture to make it look like life is something it is not.

I love life- simply put. I don't like to worry about what some other like to put their focus on. Thats not to say anything bad about people's focuses- its just to let you know that I view things differently, than maybe the person I sit next to in the T. Everyone has their own set of eyes- and everyone see's out of them differently- this is just a viewing of my sights

So whats hard about "this," work?

Much .          

....let me chat about this a little if you don't mind.

Its alot of time vested.

The hard work comes into the time you do spend on getting the produce, making the right kind of sales, selling the right kind of stuff all while;

Maintaining bee's

Maintaining a flock of fifteen, soon to be thirty.

Cleaning the house your husband works hard for

Working another part time job to provide health care

Endlessly loving the two, four legged children that love you so.

Yardwork (if you saw the yard you'd prob laugh cause you would think I haven't done any work)

more yardwork

and yardwork.

Do you view that as complaining?  Cause I can assure you that it is not. It may be hard some days but I wouldn't trade it for the world. I may be tired at the end of the day, but its a good tired.

Every time I pull into the driveway of the house I share with the ones I love so much, its as if I'm pulling into God's little taste of Heaven on earth for me.  This house, and all the work that comes with it, will always be good to me.  I look at what's around us and I know that my Savior loves us so.  It is a gift that we want to share with you.......

I thank you for hearing me out while on my soapbox, and reading some of my memories.   I appreciate the time you take to read this and share with some one else.

May your afternoon be as blessed as God intends it to be

<3 

Lauren